Selectable multi-compartment magnetic dispenser

ABSTRACT

A dispensing container for magnetizable articles, such as clips, nails, nuts, bolts and similar metallic articles, is provided wherein such container has a plurality of compartments for housing magnetizable articles of different types or sizes, and which are retained by a magnet disposed adjacent an outlet opening of each compartment, so that all housed articles may be selectively removed by the user as desired. Such container may also be provided with a movable top which closes the outlet opening of all compartments except the one selected by the user for removal of a particular desired magnetizable article.

SELECTABLE MULTI-COMPARTMENT MAGNETIC DISPENSER Inventor: Robert M.Leedy, 7 Martindale Rd.,

Short Hills, NJ. 07078 Filed: Dec. 26, 1972 Appl. No.: 317,931

US. Cl 206/338, 221/212, 206/350, 206/818, 220/20 Int. Cl B65d83/00,'A45c 11/00 Field of Search 206/1 R, DIG. 33, 56 AC; 220/20;221/212; 312/35 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1954 Hurtig etal 220/20 8/1958 Simpson 206/DIG. 33 2/1963 Karalus 8/1966 Leedy206/DIG. 33

206/DIG. 33

[ Aug. 27, 1974 3,353,883 11/1967 Cairo etal..... 206/DIG. 33 3,704,77712/1972 Linnebuhr 206/D1G. 33

Primary Examiner-William T. Dixson, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Wm. F.1 Kelly, Jr.

57 ABSTRACT A dispensing container for magnetizable articles, such asclips, nails, nuts, bolts and similar metallic articles, is providedwherein such container has a plurality of compartments for housingmagnetizable articles of different types or sizes, and which areretained by a magnet disposed adjacent an outlet opening of eachcompartment, so that all housed articles may be selectively removed bythe user as desired. Such container may also be provided with a movabletop which closes the outlet opening of all compartments except the oneselected by the user for removal of a particular desired magnetizablearticle.

11 I 11/11/11 III/1111f] I I III II II 11111 111 2 Claim, 7 DrawingFigures SELECTABLE MULTI-COMPARTMENT MAGNETIC DISPENSER BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION Dispensing containers for magnetizable articles have beenutilized for many years but their utilization has heretofore beenrestricted to more or less one type of magnetizable article, such aspaper clips or the like as shown in my prior US. Pat. No. 3,269,528granted Aug. 24, 1964,.since selection of a desired article from aconglomerate mixture within a unitary compartment would be tedious andtime consuming.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION It is accordingly the primary object ofthe present invention to provide a dispensing container for magnetizablearticles, wherein such container is divided intoa plurality ofindividual compartments for housing different types and sizes ofmagnetizable articles, with each such compartment having an interior ofdecreasing cross-sectional area in the direction of the compartmentopening, and wherein the individual type articles within eachcompartment are retained at such compartment opening by a magneticfield, for selective removal by a user as desired.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a dispensingcontainer for housing different types or sizes of magnetizable articles,having a plurality of separate and distinct compartments with thearticles within each compartment held at the opening thereof by amagnetic field, and wherein such container is provided with a movableclosure member having an opening therein and operable by the user toalign such closure member opening with any selected compartment openingfor removal of the housed magnetizable articles therefrom.

Another object of the present invention is the provi sion of adispensing container for magnetizable articles of different types orsizes having a plurality of separate and distinct compartment openingsat their top, with a magnet disposed adjacent such opening having aprogressively increasing cross-sectional area, with a separate such areaaligning with each compartment opening for retaining magnetizablearticles thereat requiring different strength magnetic fields untilremoved by a user.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of adispensing container for magnetizable articles of different types orsizes having a plurality of separate and distinct compartments with anopening at their top, and a movable closure member having an openingtherein and operable to align such closure member opening with anyselected compartment opening, and a magnet carried by said movableclosure member in alignment with the opening therein and simultaneouslymovable into alignment with any selected compartment opening, to retainthe magnetizable articles at the latter until removed by the user.

Still further objects of the present invention will become obvious tothose skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying drawingswherein:

FIG. I is a sectional. view taken on the line 1-1 of FIG. 2 and showingone embodiment of the dispensing container for magnetizable articleswhich the present invention may take;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the dispensing container as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 4 and showing amodification which the dispensing container may take;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the dispensing container as shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the magnet as employed in themodification of the dispensing container shown in FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 66 of FIG. 7 and showing astill further modification wherein the magnet is affixed to and hencemovable with the rotatable head of the dispensing container;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the dispensing container shown in FIG. 6.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the embodiment shown in FIG. 1comprises a container 5 which may be of any configuration but is thereinshown as cylindrical, and having a closed bottom 6 and a removablecap-shaped top 7. Such top has a narrow depending edge 8 which forms atelescopic connection with a reduced wall thickness 9 of thecontainer 5,so that the outside surface of such container is smooth at the junctureof the top 7 therewith, with such top 7 being rotatable relative to thelower portion of the container 5.

The interior of the container is provided with a recedingcross-sectional area in the direction of the top 7, by the provision ofa ring-shaped member I] having its cross-sectional area progressivelydecreasing from that of the diameter of the container 5, to that of theinner diameter of the opening in a ring-shaped permanent magnet 12disposed adjacent the telescopically engaging ring-shaped top 7, whenthe latter is affixed to the container 5, as shown in FIG. 1. Partitionsl3 and 14 are disposed interiorly of the container 5 to divide thelatter into a plurality of compartments 15 for housing different typesor sizes of magnetizable articles, which egress through the opening atthe upper end 8 each compartment.

The rotatable top 8, as shown in FIG. 2, has its top surface closedexcept for a sectional opening 16 provided therein and shown as ofquadrantal configuration, which opening is movable into alignment withany selected one of the open ends of the interior compartments l5,simply by the user rotating the cap-shaped top8 about the container 5.Magnetic articles within the selected compartment are accordinglyretained at the compartment opening, by the adjacent quadrantal sectionof the ring-shaped permanent magnet 12 until such articles are removedby the user as desired. It is also within the scope of the presentinvention to slightly modify the permanent magnet 12 by making it in theform of only the arcuate section which is movable into alignment withany selected compartment 15 and securing such arcuate section to theunderside of the rotatable top 7, since all other unselectedcompartments are in any event closed by the rotatable top itself and themagnetic field is needed only at the open compartment.

The modification of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5,differs from that of the preceding modification in that the container 25is provided with a telescopically engaging cap-shaped bottom 26 which isremovable for filling the various compartments 27 with different sizeand shaped magnetizable articles. Also, the ring-shaped permanent magnet28 in this modification is of variable strength by the provision ofsections of increasing cross-sectional area, which may be randomlydisposed or progressively as shown in FIG. 5 and positioned beneath therotatable top 29.

Each separate and distinct cross-sectional magnet area is accordinglypositioned in alignment with a different one of the compartments 27, sothat magnetizable articles of different weight and hence requiring aprogressively greater magnetic field may be housed within the containerand retained at each compartment opening by its required magnet section.Moreover, in this modification the rotatable top 29 comprises a flatdisc which may be of plastic material and having an upwardly projectingrib 31 graspable by the user for rotating the disc top to align itsquadrantal opening 32 with a selected one of the desired compartments27. Also, such quadrantal opening 32 is itself provided with a closuremember 33 hingedly secured at its apex to the rotatable top and forminga snap fit with the latter when closed.

In FIG. 6 and 7, the modification therein shown comprises acylindricalcontainer 41 likewise divided by partitions 42 and 43 into a pluralityof compartments and having a rotatable cap-like top 44 similar to thestructure shown in FIG. 1. However, a permanent magnet in the form ofmagnetic tape 45 surrounds the top of container 41 and may be secured tothe underside depending annular surface of the top 44 and hencerotatable therewith, or preferably is secured to the outer surface ofthe container 41 itself, so as to remain in a stationary position withthe top 44 rotatable thereon. The rotatable top 44 is likewise providedwith a quadrantal opening 46 movable by the user into any desiredopening from the inner compartments 47. Also, if desired, the magnetictape 45 may comprise an arcuate strip secured to the underside edge ofthe top 44 in alignment with the quadrantal opening 46, and thus movabletherewith into position above any selected compartment opening.

It should thus become obvious to those skilled in the art from theforegoing that a dispensing container for magnetizable articles has beenherein shown and described wherein such container is divided into aplurality of compartments for housing and dispensing a plurality ofmagnetizable articles of different size or weight. Moreover suchdispenser is provided with a closed movable top except for an opening ofapproximately the same area as that of the open end of the compartment,and with such movable top being operable to align such top-opening withany selected one of said container compartments, for removal of themagnetizable articles contained in such selected compartment by a useras desired.

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been hereinshown and described, it is to be understood that still furthermodifications thereof may be made without departing from the spirit andscope of the present invention as herein claimed.

I claim:

1. A dispensing container for magnetizable articles of different size orweight comprising:

a. a hollow cotainer provided with a plurality of compartments having anoutlet opening at the end of each said compartment for the withdraw] ofmagnetizable articles from any selected compartment, and

b. a magnet disposed adjacent the opening at the end of each saidcompartment and having sections of varying cross-sectional area, toproduce a corresponding increased magnetic field at the outlet openingof each compartment to which each said magnet section is adjacent forretaining magnetizable articles of increased size or weight at eachseparate compartment outlet for removal by the user.

therefrom by the user.

1. A dispensing container for magnetizable articles of different size orweight comprising: a. a hollow cotainer provided with a plurality ofcompartments having an outlet opening at the end of each saidcompartment for the withdrawl of magnetizable articles from any selectedcompartment, and b. a magnet disposed adjacent the opening at the end ofeach said compartment and having sections of varying cross-sectionalarea, to produce a corresponding increased magnetic field at the outletopening of each compartment to which each said magnet section isadjacent for retaining magnetizable articles of increased size or weightat each separate compartment outlet for removal by the user.
 2. Adispensing container for magnetizable articles of different size andweight as set forth in claim 1 wherein a closure member is provided atthe end of said container having an opening with an area approximatingthat of the compartment outlet opening and said closure member beingoperable to align said closure member opening with the outlet opening ofany selected compartment for removal of magnetizable articles therefromby the user.